John Bustamante, the son of a former congressman, files for his dad’s old seat

San Antonio lawyer John Bustamante filed papers with the Texas Democratic Party seeking the party’s nomination for the 23rd Congressional District currently held by Republican Rep. Quico Canseco.

Bustamante is the second Democrat to officially seek the party’s nomination, following state Rep. Pete Gallego of Alpine.

“I look forward to a friendly and healthy competition with my fellow Democrats in the race,” Bustamante said.

The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a stay in the state’s party primaries to hear legal challenges to a Republican redistricting plan and an interim map drawn by a federal court panel in San Antonio.

The high court will hear oral arguments on Jan. 9 and later determine political lines for congressional and state representative and senate districts.

Currently, the district held by Canseco, a San Antonio Republican, sweeps west to Del Rio and along the Rio Grande to El Paso.

Bustamante is the son of former Rep. Albert Bustamante, a Democrat who represented the 23rd Congressional District from 1985 to 1993. Bustamante was convicted on racketeering charges in 1993 and sentenced to 3 ½ years in prison.

John Bustamante is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Texas School of Law. He is patent litigation lawyer in San Antonio and Austin.

Bustamante faces Gallego, who has served more than 20 years in the Texas Legislature and was a former federal prosecutor.

“I am considered an underdog because I don’t have a war chest of campaign funds,” Bustamante said. “But I’m blessed with deep Texas roots and steadfast relationships within the district.

“My campaign is gaining momentum quickly,” Bustamante said, noting that he has collected more than 500 signatures in five counties in the 23rd district from people who support his campaign.

Canseco said he will seek re-election to Congress, but has yet to officially file with the state Republican Party.